Year: 2023
December 2023
- Devotional Genesis 21:1-7: The Promise Fulfilled
When God promises, God acts. The deed follows the word which announces it. As Christmas quickly approaches, we remember again God’s fulfilment of the…
- Devotional Genesis 17:15-18:15: The Promised Offspring
God had his own plans and wisdom that were greater than Abraham’s. The inheritor of God’s covenant promises to Abraham would come through Abraham…
- Devotional 1 Samuel 31: Saul’s Downfall
While David had successfully rescued his wives and children from captivity, and even spread the bounty of victory around, the Philistines and Israel under…
- Devotional Romans 1-3: Recap
A recap of Paul’s narrative so far – we are all sinners and fall short. A summary of Romans 1-3 is in the PowerPoint…
- Devotional 1 Samuel 30: Tragedy to Triumph
But unlike recent situations which had led to a ransacked Ziklag, “David strengthened himself in the LORD his God” (v.6). How is not exactly…
November 2023
- Devotional 1 Samuel 29: Surprise Saviour
The author of Samuel appeared to be setting up a final grudge match between David and Saul, lined up against each other. David, forced…
- Devotional 1 Samuel 28:3-25: Divine Despair
For some, this “Dark Night of the Soul” or “Divine Despair” is the road by which unbelievers come to Christ. For many unbelievers though,…
- Devotional 1 Samuel 27:1-28:2: When David Followed His Heart
Even the best of us follow our heart. David certainly did. Despite all the external evidence of God’s provision for David, the internal strain…
- Devotional 1 Samuel 26: Spear the King’s Life
David’s act, or inaction, to spare King Saul’s life rather than spear Saul, was a great act of faith. David had been hounded and…
October 2023
- Devotional 1 Samuel 25: Learning Restraint
Our passage begins with momentous news that passes as a footnote: the death of Samuel (v.1). The prominent character of the early part of…
- Devotional 1 Samuel 24: Waiting on God’s Timing
We must wait on God’s timing for taking on responsibilities, or seeing injustices answered. In 1 Samuel 24, David understood that fact. Leaving aside…
- Devotional 1 Samuel 23:19-29: Rock of Escape
Sometimes God sends encouragement just at the right time. A shot in the arm, so to speak, before we face another trouble. Words of…
- Devotional 1 Samuel 14:14-18: Faithful Friendship
While God was clearly protecting David, David was aware that Saul was actively seeking his life. As David hid in the wilderness of Ziph,…
September 2023
- Devotional 1 Samuel 23:1-14: Following God’s Leading
Life offers up difficult situations where we are unsure of what to do. We may struggle with questions of relationships, jobs, where to live,…
- Devotional 1 Samuel 22:7-23: Antichrists, Persecution, and Preservation
Just as the Devil seeks to destroy the Church today, so too in the past he has sought to try and snuff out God’s…
- Devotional 1 Samuel 22:1-5: The Long Hand of Providence
With Saul’s murderous intent clear, David had desperately fled Saul’s immediate reach. He had acquired food and weapons, and fled outside of King Saul’s…
- Devotional 1 Samuel 21: Desperation and Provision
In Chapter 20, David knew that his time in Saul’s presence had come to an end. Saul wanted David dead. He recognised a rival…
- Devotional 1 Samuel 20: Trusting in the Covenant
In 1 Samuel 20, David faced the prospect that he was an enemy of Israel’s king. At the same time, while driven by fear,…
August 2023
- Devotional 1 Samuel 19:1-24: God’s Protection of God’s Anointed
In 1 Samuel 19, Saul’s envy came to a head. Multiple times, he sought to kill David, or have him killed. But in all…
- Devotional 1 Samuel 18:6-30: Saul’s Envy and God’s Goodness
We often think that God’s goodness must mean miraculous intervention, as sometimes happened in the Old Testament or the Gospels. Yet just as often,…
- Devotional 1 Samuel 17:55-18:5: What a Friend to Have!
After God’s victory of Goliath, through the hands of his faithful servant David, David’s star rose to shine brightly in Israel’s skies. His feat…
- Devotional 1 Samuel 17:41-54: The Battle Belongs to God
The emphasis on David’s weakness, and the lack of emphasis on the actual battle, shows the emphasis should go on God, not David. Not…
July 2023
- Devotional 1 Samuel 17:31-40: God Will Deliver
There is a clear contrast here between the secular, worldly way of Saul, and the way of David. Saul sought to mould David into…
- Devotional 1 Samuel 17:1-30: The Real Spiritual Battle
The David and Goliath story is not about us defeating our enemies. It is about God defeating his enemies, looking forward to Jesus defeating…
- Devotional 1 Samuel 16:14-23: On His Majesty’s Service
Sometimes it is hard to see in the moment why certain events happen in life. Certain doors open, others seemingly slam shut in our…
- Devotional 1 Samuel 16:1-13: Looking on the Heart
David's anointing shows that the leadership qualities we look to when choosing leaders, whether in politics or business, or even sometimes the Church, are…
June 2023
- Devotional 1 Samuel 15:24-35: False Repentance and Judgement
This passage shows us that true repentance for sin is not based on words or formulae, but sorrow and a move of the heart.…
- Devotional 1 Samuel 15:1-23: Obedience Better Than Sacrifice
There seems a popular idea today, if people acknowledge God's existence, that God will weigh our good and bad deeds on a scale and…
- Devotional 1 Samuel 14:47-52: Right Side of History, Wrong Side of God
1 Samuel 14 ends with an interesting verdict on Saul’s reign. Despite Saul’s blatant folly and his lack of faithfulness to God and God’s…
- Devotional 1 Samuel 14:24-46: Foolish Vows
In the previous verses we saw how God saved Israel through the faith of Saul’s son, Jonathan, who trusted God to use him if…
- Devotional 1 Samuel 14:1-23: Faith and Folly
Jonathan’s example demonstrates to us that we do not need to have all the answers before we step out in faith. Perhaps like me…
May 2023
- Devotional 1 Samuel 13: Failing the Kingly Grade
In this passage, Saul demonstrated his unsuitability as King over Israel. While Saul started out in tentative obedience to God’s commands, his unlawful sacrifice…
- Devotional 1 Samuel 12: Samuel Steps Down
God’s goodness and his graciousness are presented to us in the Bible, which shows us how God has been faithful to his people, even…
- Devotional 1 Samuel 11:1-15: Salvation for God’s People
Saul had been proclaimed king, but everyone went back home to their day jobs and carried on as if nothing had changed. In this…
- Devotional 1 Samuel 10:17-27: Long Live The King!
Samuel had rebuked Israel for seeking a king previously, and once again took up the opportunity. Samuel reminded Israel that it was God who…
April 2023
- Devotional 1 Samuel 9:1-10:16: The People’s Prince
Israel in Samuel’s day were also looking for their own type of king, not the divine leadership which God provided. They wanted a king…
- Devotional 1 Samuel 8:10-22: The Problem with Kings
The reality of kingship, and of government in general, is the focus of 1 Samuel 8. Israel sinfully wanted a king just like the…
- Devotional 1 Samuel 8:1-9: Leadership Crisis
In 1 Samuel 8, a leadership crisis arose as Samuel grew old and his sons showed themselves unsuitable. So Israel sought a king, as…
- Devotional 1 Samuel 7:2-17: Our Rock of Help
It is a terrible thing to experience God’s displeasure and judgement. And yet, despite our sinfulness and our deserving of punishment, God graciously shows…
March 2023
- Devotional 1 Samuel 6:1-7:2: Offending A Holy God
In 1 Samuel 6 we see examples of the unbelieving world and God’s covenant people both offending God. The Philistines, suffering God’s judgement, sent…
- Devotional 1 Samuel 5: Putting Idols In Their Place
It seems like the Church of Christ is on the back foot in the West today. Many treat the Church, Christians, and God’s standard…
- Devotional 1 Samuel 4:12-21: God’s Glory Departed
In the beginning verses of chapter 4, God’s People took the Ark into battle with the Philistines as a talisman to trap God into…
- Devotional 1 Samuel 4:1-11: The Peril of Trying to Trap God
Lots of people in life, whether they admit it or not, are practical atheists. But when bad times come, they are quick to pick…
- Devotional 1 Samuel 3:1-4:1: The Call of Samuel
God calls us to repentance and faith, and some to particular lives of ministry for his people. While we may not receive a vision…
February 2023
- Devotional 1 Samuel 2:11-36: Faithful and Unfaithful Servants
Contrasts are effective because they are so clear. While we are tempted to view life in shades of grey, obedience to God does not…
- Devotional 1 Samuel 2:1-10: Hannah’s Song of God’s Kingdom
In chapter 2 of 1 Samuel we encounter Hannah’s song of thanks. Hannah’s song is not centred entirely on self, but rather centred on…
- Devotional 1 Samuel 1:21-28: Giving Back
Hannah’s despair led her to prayer, and led her to offer back the child she asked from God were he to grant her wish.…
- Devotional 1 Samuel 1:1-20: Comfort for the Hurt
Sometimes life is not fair. You have many things that people think should make you happy, but not the one thing you desire. The…
